Helical flow separator



Oct. 27, 1942. H. MCCURDY- 2,300,129

HELICAL FLOW SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 4, 1940 WVK/J/TaT, J wan/Win91 Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HELICAL FLOW SEPARATOR Howard McCurdy, Walnut Park, Calif.

Application November 4, 1940, Serial No. 364,235

11 Claims.

This invention is a centrifugal separator for operation on fluids; that is, gaseous and liquid media, either for the separation of solids from the fluid, or gas from liquids, or to separate different gravities of liquids, or to classify granular solids, and is a method for the motivation of the fluid to facilitate the action of gravity during the rotation of the body of fluid to separate out the several components of a fluid mass.

It is an object of this invention to provide a means and method wherein apparatus is included whereby to effect a continued rotation, in a stationary shell, of a mass of fluid and to effect the gradual movement of the mass in a helical path downwardly from an inlet so that by a combina tion of the force of gravity and of centrifugal moment the heavier constituents of the fluid will be thrown outwardly toward the inner surface of a cylindrical shell whence they will move downwardly toward an outletted basin in which the heavier materials will collect, means being provided for the continued outlet of the lighter fluid part apart from the outlet basin in which the heavies collect.

Further, an object of the invention is to provide a shell having helical guide means so disposed in the shell and about its axis that fluid coming in on one tangent will be caused to make one or more helical turns in the shell and will be caused to pass from the shell on a tangential path in substantial continuance of the line of flow; that is means are included whereby to effect a unidirectional line of flow from an inlet tube of the shell to an outlet tube thereof and meanwhile make an uninterrupted helical traverse of the shell chamber to a desired length thereof.

An object is to provide in a separator of this class upper and lower helical guides preferably spaced in the shell axially one from the other by a distance which is one or more integral numbers of the pitch distance of the helical guide device. In this connection, an object is to provide transversely outwardly and downwardly tipped, helical, flxed fluid guides one of which is disposed at the fluid outlet of the shell and has a marginal portion which is spaced in from the shell surface to provide a passageway for downwardly gravitatingheavier parts of the moving mass to the bottom or basin part of the shell. And means are provided whereby to arrest the fall of the heavies from a portion of the guide device, which is contiguous to the fluid outlet, directly toward the outlet and cause them to continue on in such a path as will lead them toward the basin of the shell.

The invention consists in certain advancements in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects. and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose constructions, combinations, and details of means, and the method, will be made manifest in the following description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principle of the invention as it is more directly claimed presently.

Figure 1 is a vertical, axial section of the separator.

Figurev 2 is a broken-away plan of the upper end of the separator.

Figure 3 is asdetail section of a rotation check at the bottom helix.

In the instant embodiment a cylindrical shell 2 of suitable diameter and height has a top closure in the form of a helical ceiling 'l" of at least one full turn to form a guide for a mass of fluid which in'this case enters into the upper partof the shell chamber by way of an inlet tube 3 having its discharge end in, and on a longitudinal plane which is radial to the axis of the shell, and is here shown as ending in and opening through a radial-plane wall ID with an inlet mouth 9 and which wall H) at its top and bottom edges joins to the axially opposite portions of the helical top closure. This top may be of any suitable form of structure so long as its lower, inner face in the shell presents a helical surface to the stream offluid discharging into the shell at the mouth 9 and which surface has the function of imparting a helical rotary motion to the incomingfluid to effect a centrifugal moment on the heavier constituents of the mass for their separation if from the lighter constituents. To accelerate descent of the heavier parts the transverse section of the top 1" is such that the lower face thereof is inclined downwardly and outwardly as to the axis of the shell.

Spaced a suitable distance below the helical ceiling or top 1", and at a distance of preferably one or more integral pitch dimensions of the ceiling helix, there is another helical guide device or intermediate or false bottom element 1 of any suitable form which has an axial length of preferably one and one-half helical turns of its upper helical surface, and thissurface is transversely oblique to about the same degree as the upper helix.

A longitudinal, radial-plane wall III at its top and bottom edges connects with and radially along near, axially opposite portions of the helical element 1 and a discharge or outflow tube 4 has one end in, and on a longitudinal plane which is radial to the axis of the helical element i and of the shell 2 and is here shown as ending in and opening out through the radial wall III at an outlet mouth 4.

It will be seen that the tubes 3 and 4 are tangent to circles about the axis of the shell 2 and they are shown as extending in opposite directions from their respective walls ill and Hi and these walls are here shown as in a common, longitudinal, radial plane in the shell; the inlet tube 3 being at the top guide helix and the outlet tube 4 being at the bottom guide helix l The upper portion of the lowerhelical element 1 continues on upwardly for a suitable distance from the upper end of the wall It) and has its margin spaced inwardly at H! from the shell surface to form a passageway for heavy material or ejecta from the rotating mass flowing from the inlet tube 3 into and down the shell chamber and toward the outlet 4 the ejecta flowing down along the shell surface toward and into a basin formed under the lower guide element 1 and to be drawn on from a tap in the bottom 5 of the shell.

Since the outlet 4 is from a space under the upper portion 1a of the helix 1 this upper portion extends out to and meets for a suitable angular distance the adjacent shell wall so as to form a hood-function part vertically above the helical space leading to the outlet 4. All of the helical guide element 1 below the transverse plane at the upper end of the wall H3 is spaced inwardly forming a helical passageway [2:1 for the free descent of the ejecta, from the fluid mass rotating on the upper face of the lower helical element 1, to the basin space therebelow.

The top or ceiling element 1" is provided with a central manhole pipe 8 about which is secured the upper marginal part of the ceiling helix element and at the apex of this element there is provided in the pipe 8 a suitable vent hole 7:1: for escape of air that may be trapped when the separator is first filled with liquid.

Spaced axially from and below the pipe 8 is a lower, coaxial, core member 8, preferably of tubular form and having a vented removable cap 8" on its top and the inner marginal part of the lower helical element 1 is fixed in a helix about this core member. The first full, bottom turn of the lower, helical element 7 is superposed upon platform spider formed by a system of radical webs 3x reaching to the shell wall. These webs have also the purpose of arresting rotation of the fluid filling the basin under the guide element 1 and thus making a dead space thereunder.

There is shown in Fig. 3 a helical eave l5 fixed along the shell face above and following the passageway 12a of the lower guide 1 for the purpose of allowing the descending ejecta on the guide in the mass thereat to pass below to the basin and at the same time to prevent or reduce, with or without the barrier 81:, a rotational effect of the fluid in the basin.

What is claimed is:

1. A separator having a cylindrical shell provided with a tube for fluid inflow discharging tangentially into the shell, a helical guide arranged axially of the shell against which fluid from said tube is discharged, said guide constituting the top closure of the shell, a bottom for the shell, and

a helical element disposed in the shell between said top and the bottom and spaced from the guide and having a margin which is spaced in part from and contiguous in part to the shell wall to provide for discharge of ejecta to the bottom space below said element, and a discharge tube having an outlet leading from the space between pitch convolutions of the said element.

2. In a separator of the class described including a shell, a helical guide therein for fiowing fiuid in the shell chamber, the guide having a marginal portion spaced in part inwardly from the shell wall to form a helical passageway to a space below the guide, and an eave-like element overhanging a portion of the passageway.

3. A separator as in claim 1; the said guide and said element both being upwardly and inwardly inclined toward the axis of the shell.

a. A cylindrical, centrifugal separator shell having an inlet tube discharging tangentially into the shell, a helical guide about the shell axis against which fluid from the said tube discharges, said guide constituting a top closure of the shell, a bottom for the shell, and a helical element disposed in the shell between said top and the bottom and axially spaced from the guiding top and having a margin which is spaced in part from the shell to provide for discharge of ejecta to the bottom space below said element, and a discharge tube having an outlet at and leading from the space between pitch convolutions of said element.

5. The structure of claim 4; said discharge and outlet tubes being spaced from each other longituclinall of the shell, the discharge tube discharging tangentially from the shell in the direction of flow of fluid along said element.

6. A cylindrical, separator shell having upper and lower helical guides spaced apart and of like pitch for fluid supplied to the shell, radial walls extending inwardly from the inner face of the shell and longitudinally joining convolutions of the respective guides, fiow tubes extending tangentially into the shell and having their ends opening through said walls; the lower guide having a marginal portion spaced from the inner surface of the shell to form a passageway to a space therebelow for ejecta flowing from one guide to the other.

'7. The structure of claim 6; the said tubes extending in opposite directions from a common plane of the shell.

8. The structure of claim 6; and a marginal upper part of the lower guide having a part cut away and a part above the discharge fiow tube extended to the shell and forming a guard to prevent sediment on said portion of the guide iroom falling directly toward the discharge fiow 9. The separator of claim 6, and a spider platform on which the lower guide is superposed and which constitutes a fluid rotation barrier under said lower guide.

10. The structure of claim 4; and the said element having its upper end continued upwardly beyond those portions between which said discharge tube is arranged.

11. The structure of claim 6; in which the space between the upper and the lower guides is sufficient to provide a longitudinally extending and unobstructed chamber portion therebetween for free rotation of the fluid.

HOWARD MCCURDY. 

